SCORES of people turned up to Poole on Monday afternoon to get a first glimpse at a new restoration shop and meet television’s favourite furniture restorer.
Jay & Co in the Kingland shopping complex, near the Dolphin Centre, opened its doors to its first bricks-and-mortar store.
The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades MBE joined fellow business owner Steve Wyatt of Restored Retro to take the plunge with his first shop.
Jay, who was recently made the first chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, told the Daily Echo: “The overall feeling of today is, if you look at how many people are here, it’s all a bit naughty.
“To me, if people are here, they have a reason to be here and it is proof the high street is definitely not dead.
“Before Steve came down here to Poole, it was a case of soft mentoring. Now that he’s doing what he is doing, he has stocked some of our stuff, it sold really well – so we thought we would do something.
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“Jay & Co is all about collaboration and doing something completely different that other people are not necessarily doing – so why not start in Poole?”
Steve Wyatt, Jay’s business partner, said the “passion” the pair had for furniture restoration and their shared interests was the reason for setting up Jay & Co and their eight-year friendship.
He said: “I moved to Poole six years ago, out of rehab, and didn’t know anyone so was thinking what I was going to do.
“I then started restoring things and Jay said to me ‘what can you do differently?’ - and here it is. Our shop.”
A project three months in the making, Steve said he hopes Jay & Co will bring even more people to Kingland.
“Kingland is full of independent shops and we are all in this together so I am hoping having this shop here will bring more people to the area too,” he added.
“We had the opportunity to run the shop here for two years and through the support we have had from the customers, they have given us the opportunity with Jay & Co.”
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